Originally posted by Cameron 77C3
Does the mag have a web site that shows the story Mr J?
Cam
here is the story Mr. Cam
Chevy's Corvette combines muscular looks, stirring performance and reliability to make it the perfect collectable car...
Words: Cliff Chambers
Pics: Stuart Grant
North American roads had never seen anything like the second-generation Chevrolet Corvette. The car that appeared for 1963 shared hardly a vestige with the model it replaced and looked for all the world like an escapee from design boss Bill Mitchell's experimental styling programme.
That, in effect, is exactly where the radical new shape of America's favourite sports car had originated. Following the retirement in 1958 of long-term General-Motors' styling chief Harley Earl, Mitchell set about revamping the Corvette that Earl had conceived during the early 1950s and held sacrosanct until his departure.
Retaining fibreglass bodywork around a steel box-section frame, Mitchell created during 1959 a strange XP-700 styling exercise but his true intentions for the Corvette were revealed in 1961 via a knife-edged racer he named 'Sting Ray'.
In production form, the second-generation Corvette was spectacular yet practical and visually devastating - especially to buyers who had laid down deposits for a Jaguar E-Type. Its shape was lean and lithe with knife-edge lines heading off in every direction and the first use of concealed headlamps on a US-built production car since a short-lived 1942 model De Soto.
Most controversial of all the Sting Ray's external features was the almost horizontal, centrally-divided rear window that appeared only on 1963 model coupes. For easier access to the cabin, the doors on coupes cut deep into the roofline and while Roadsters were able to accommodate a conventional boot lid, the boat-tailed coupe forced occupants to stow their luggage from inside.
Strength and rigidity were primal design parameters - the 1963 car including almost twice the amount of steel framing that was found in a '62. Accommodating a conventional coil sprung rear axle was impossible, so the independent rear suspension incorporated a system of control arms and jointed drive shafts that were all kept in check by a distinctly old-fashioned transverse leaf spring.
Power came initially from just one source - Chevrolet's 5.3-litre, 327ci V8. Power output ranged from a miserable 185kW to more than 270kW for engines fitted with optional fuel injection. Drum brakes and three-speed manual transmission were standard, with a four-speed manual or two-speed Powerglide automatic optional.
A major drawback of the original Corvette design was its cramped and conservative-looking cabin. Despite the 1963-67 cars sitting on a wheelbase 50mm shorter than earlier cars, interior space was better utilised, the dash modernised by the addition of cowls and a central console while a new three-spoke wheel was attached to improved recirculating-ball steering.
So well had Mitchell and GM engineering guru Zora Arkus-Duntov combined in their development of the original design that upgrading of the Sting Ray during the course of its existence was minimal and involved enhancement rather than rectification.
The design was easily capable of accommodating GM's larger engines and a great deal more power. Senior management initially rejected the idea but competition from Ford's Shelby-Cobra changed their mind and 1965 saw the Sting Ray offered with a 6.5-litre, 396ci engine and mandatory four-wheel disc brakes.
A year later came 7.0-litre road-going models and the car that's widely regarded as the most desirable Corvette of all time - the Sting Ray L88 with 315kW from a 7.0-litre, 427ci version of the GM 'big block' V8. While unable to match the lighter 427 Cobra for outright pace, an L88 would accelerate from 0-60mph (0-96km/h) in 4.8secs and reach 160km/h from a standstill in less than 12secs.
ON THE ROAD
Laying hands on a road-ripping 7.0-litre car is a nice thought but my impressions of the Sting Ray need to be based on brief exposure to the more common but still memorable 5.3-litre coupe.
Weighing less than 1400kg and with 224kW at its disposal, the 327 engine with its single four-barrel carburettor provided plenty of response and enough torque to be driven virtually anywhere in third and top gears. First gear is relatively high and creeping in traffic with the clutch barely engaged isn't kind to the transmission, so anyone contemplating a Sting Ray for regular use might be better served by a Powerglide car.
With less than three turns lock-to-lock and power steering an uncommon option, navigating a 'Ray through suburban streets demands a decent amount of upper-body strength. Out on the open road things don't improve dramatically, for while the steering lightens at higher speeds the extra pace emphasises its vagueness and susceptibility to transferring road shocks through the thin rim.
Cars that remain in their original left-hand drive configuration are reportedly more responsive and less prone to fouling wheels against the chassis when turning tightly, but Peter Whiston of the Melbourne-based Corvette Clinic is adamant that competently undertaken conversions drive as well as the originals.
"The people who did these cars didn't realise that if you put the steering box in the wrong place or use the wrong steering components they were going to wreck the drivability of the car," Whiston said. "We use a compatible steering box like a ZD Fairlane and original Corvette components so those problems just don't arise."
Citing a potential $15,000 adverse impact on values, Whiston doesn't recommend RHD conversion for pre-1971 cars but his organisation is happy to rectify older, poor-quality jobs or even return cars to their original steering configuration.
Crouching low in the cabin you feel a little like a fighter pilot and that's probably exactly the impression the car's designers were intent on delivering. Coupes desperately need twin exterior mirrors since the shape and proximity of the rear pillar creates a massive blind spot. Visibility through the near-horizontal rear window is none-too-flash either and probably worse at night.
Most '63-67 models had flat, uninteresting vinyl seats yet, during the 1967 model year, less than ten percent of owners specified the $79 upgrade to leather. Among the more popular options was power steering - fitted to almost a quarter of the 1966 models sold - and close-ratio four-speed transmission that appeared in more than half of that year's Sting Rays.
Road tests when the cars were new reveal that carb-fed 327 cars weren't rocketships, with a four-speed taking around 8sec to reach 100km/h and a top speed of 195km/h. Fuel injection cut the 0-100km/h time to less than 7secs while fuel consumption averaged 23L/100km.
HOW MUCH?
There is no such thing as a good, cheap 1963-67 Corvette Sting Ray. Enthusiast demand for rare variations has seen US-market values increase during the past few years and it's possible to pay $US1000 for a top-class example of the L71-L72 big block cars.
More affordable and available on the Australian market are 5.3-litre cars - usually found as coupes but more frequently now in soft-top Roadster form. Our featured 1966 model has been here for around nine months, remains LHD and is available from Corvette Clinic (03 9467 7371) at $75,000. Cars of lesser quality and with older local steering conversions can sometimes be found below $60,000 but anything at much less than $50,000 is likely to require expense that will ultimately make it more costly than a better-quality car.
BUYERS CHECK POINTS
BODY
Fibreglass bodywork ensures freedom from rust in areas that are afflicted in many other older cars but the presence of a steel frame demands that any Corvette must be inspected on a hoist by an expert. As an initial check, Peter Whiston recommends careful viewing of the chassis sections that are visible with the bonnet raised and the area of chassis rail immediately behind the doors where the frame curves ahead of the rear wheel. Starring and cracking to the fibreglass is less of an issue but will reduce the value of an otherwise sound car. Replacement chrome is available, but not always cheap. As an example, new bumpers will cost around $US450 per corner!
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
The vast majority of 1963-67 cars in the Australian market are powered by small-block engines, but not all will be authentic and non-original engines have an adverse effect on values. Referring to one of the many Corvette reference books or internet sites will reveal the correct engine suffix for different powerplants. The suffix 'RE', for example, relates to a 327ci (5.3-litre) engine fitted with manual transmission. Normal cautions regarding rattles and exhaust smoke apply but replacement parts are available and mechanical repairs relatively cheap. Vibration from the rear-end can be due to a worn drive shaft joint or rubber differential mounting.
SUSPENSION & BRAKES
Issues here often relate to poor-quality RHD conversions. Cars that wander on uneven surfaces or dive about under brakes require professional inspection and sometimes upgrading to acceptable safety standards. Performing a conversion from scratch costs up to $12,000. Rumbling from the rear wheel bearings is a danger sign as these are prone to failure and cost $500-plus per side to replace. Replacement brake drums for early cars are only available secondhand; however these cars can be easily converted to the later all-disc system. New brake rotors are available for around $150 each, with rebuilt calipers slightly less.
INTERIOR & ELECTRICS
Trim replacement kits including carpet, door trims and leather seat coverings cost less than $2500, so don't be frightened of a car showing interior wear. Negotiate harder on those with seriously cracked or twisted seat frames as replacements from North American suppliers cost around $1000 per seat. The foldaway headlamps operate electrically via an under-dash switch, so ensure they emerge quickly and in unison.
FAST FACTS
NUMBER BUILT: 117,964 (all models 1963-67)
BODY: two-door coupe and convertible, separate steel frame with fibreglass bodywork
ENGINE: 5.3, 6.5 or 7.0-litre overhead valve V8 with carburettor or fuel injection.
POWER & TORQUE: 224kW @ 5000rpm, 485Nm @ 3200rpm (5.3-litre carburettor V8)
PERFORMANCE: 0-100km/h - 8.0secs, 0-400m 15.5secs (5.3-litre carburettor V8)
TRANSMISSION: three or four-speed manual, two-speed automatic
SUSPENSION: Front - independent with A-arms, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers and anti-roll bar. Rear - independent with lateral struts, transverse leaf spring, telescopic shock absorbers and anti-roll bar
BRAKES: four-wheel drum (1963-64), four-wheel disc (1965-67) with power assistance optional
WHEELS & TYRES: 15 x 6J steel, 7.75 x15 crossply
PRICE RANGE: $35,000 - restorable 5.3-litre Coupe ($250,000 show-quality 7.0-litre)
CLUB: Corvette Clubs in all states. Web site:
www.nswcorvettes.com.au
